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Same old Saints?
September 13, 2004
By Glenn Guilbeau
gguilbeau@gannett.com
NEW ORLEANS -- Same as it ever was?
Similar sounds were likely heard at 13 other NFL stadiums Sunday, but it had just a pinch ...

Similar sounds were likely heard at 13 other NFL stadiums Sunday, but it had just a pinch more resonant pepper here in the Louisiana Superdome. Late in the New Orleans Saints' 21-7 season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it came out of the stands:

"It took you eight weeks to come up with that!"

What has been termed as one of the Saints' best training camps in recent years sweated out the same result that has started seven of the last 11 football seasons -- a loss. And only once in those past 11 years have the Saints reached the playoffs. Before a brief stretch of stability under Jim Mora from 1987 through 1992 when the team reached the playoffs four times, New Orleans lost 17 of 20 season openers.

"People will say we're the same old Saints, but we're not the same old Saints," said fourth-year defensive end Charles Grant, who already has a good idea of club history. "We're an improved football team. This was the best training camp we've ever had. We'llBad omen
The New Orleans Saints have lost seven of their last 11 openers. Only once in the previous six seasons that has occurred have the Saints gone on to have a winning season.
Year Final record
1994 7-9
1995 7-9
1996 3-13
1997 6-10
2000 10-6
2003 8-8
2004 ???
Source: Times researchbe fine. I know man for man, guy for guy, we're better than the Seattle Seahawks."

Number by number, though, that was not the case as the Seahawks outgained the Saints 415 to 281, had 21 first downs to 12 and held the ball seven minutes longer.

By early in the fourth quarter, most of the "sellout" crowd of 64,900 were gone or on their way out. There were hundreds of no-shows at kickoff as well, even though it was the first Saints home game since 2002 in which enough tickets were not sold by deadline to avoid a TV blackout in a 100-mile radius of the game.

"They won the game," Grant said. "We made mistakes, but they were correctable stuff. We had our chances, but if you don't take advantage against a team like that they'll put you away."

Saints cornerback Ashley Ambrose intercepted quarterback Matt Hasselbeck early in the first quarter and set the Saints up near midfield, but a 9-yard sack of quarterback Aaron Brooks ended that threat. After another Seattle turnover, New Orleans drove to the Seattle 34 and Brooks found tight end Boo Williams, but he lunged for the first down and fumbled it back to Seattle.

The Seahawks then got it together behind Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander, and it was 14-0 midway in the second quarter. Brooks' passing led to the Saints only score for a 14-7 deficit at halftime, and the Saints drove to the Seattle 38 with the third quarter kickoff. But running back Deuce McAllister fumbled it over. Then Brooks threw an interception late in the period to set up a Seattle touchdown and the 21-7 lead.

"We are talking about starters, some of the best players in the league," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "They turned the ball over. This game boiled down to our good players making mistakes."

McAllister managed only 57 yards on 16 carries, while the team totalled 74 yards.

"It wasn't happening," McAllister said. "Fortunately, we've got 15 games left. But that's no excuse because we prepared for this game for so long. We spent a lot of time preparing for this game. We only had rhythm in spurts."

Offensive tackle Wayne Gandy said the game reminded him of the opener last year when the Saints lost 27-10 at Seattle and floundered to a 1-4 start.

"We'd get the ball on the 20 and drive to their 20, but something would happen," he said. "It was like last year, almost like a nightmare."

Williams refused to make a comparison to last year.

"We try not to look back on last year," he said. "We've got 15 more games. We may have lost, but we can come back and win 15."

"We've got 15 more games," Grant said. "They didn't come in here and blow us out. We're not going to be down and feel sorry for ourselves."

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